Scaccarium
by TheVillainofTheStory
Summary: The spirits created another being to balance the Avatar. An immortal, all powerful being. And it was her hand that caused Aang's adventure.ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

This is a really random and long fic, so bear with me. It will probably be a bit confusing at times, so I apologize in advance.

Summary: The Avatar is the master of all four elements. But balance is essential. This is the story of one girl born to balance the Avatar as his opposite, and how her hand orchestrated everything that happened.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did, Zuko's mother would have been found.

**So, I'm reposting this story because I was looking back at my stuff and thought that this sucked. Considering I wrote it in middle school originally, that can be forgiven. I fixed it up a little bit, though not as much as I would really like. It is better and only a little less cheesy XD. No, I'm not updating with new chapters yet. Sorry. I will come back though. Promise! Oh, and anything in bold is commentary I have added for the rewrite.**

Prologue

The days of bending one's own energy had come to an end. The art of bending had finally been discovered by mortals, achieving a harmony with nature vastly different than the one they had before. A being had to be created to balance the nations and keep peace in the mortal realms; this human needed to be of both the Spirit World and the Mortal World. Thus, the Avatar was created. The spirits named him Azyr and placed him as an infant in the womb of a Fire Nation woman.

Soon after the first Avatar was born, it became apparent he would need an opposite to balance his power. Just as fire cannot exist without water or earth without air, the most powerful mortal bender needed an opposite who was immortal. After many debates and many trial and error attempts that ended in disaster, the four main spirits came to an agreement.

It was the Fire Spirit who originally thought of it. They would take a human girl, rather than create one as they had done with the Avatar, and make her absolutely perfect in every way: appearance, intelligence, power, and most importantly bending. The girl would have to be immortal, but able to shift her appearance for her own protection. Being practically a spirit herself, she would need to be able to bend every aspect of the physical and spiritual worlds. In exchange for her many powerful abilities, the Avatar would retain the memories of his past lives and be reincarnated.

When the ruler of the spirits realized what his four underlings were attempting, he hurried to stop them. The plan was too rash and the consequences too great for his taste. The Fire Spirit imprisoned him inside of a comet to travel space for all eternity.

The Spirit of the Earth came to the royal family of the Fire Nation and took their only daughter without their consent. She put her power into the infant, and gave three extra gifts as well: an unbreakable will, eternal youth and beauty, and a red crystal necklace. The Earth took the infant to the spirit realm and presented it to the Spirit of Fire.

The Fire held the babe for the Air Spirit, who had no solid form. She placed her powers in the girl and also gave three extra gifts: an understanding mind, grace and balance beyond measure, and a long black silk scarf. The Spirit of Air had doubts about the plan, but she loved the Spirit of Fire intensely and wanted to please him.

Tui the moon spirit and La the water spirit took the girl next. Water bending did not exist without both of them, so they placed both their powers in her. They too gave more than was required: wisdom and discernment, luck, and a long ornate gold staff. They did not agree with Fire on any matter and hated him fiercely, but they realized how important and necessary a task it was and complied with little argument.

Finally, the Fire Spirit himself placed the power of fire in the girl. He also infused her with the qualities he admired most: a fierce and unrelenting soul and the desire to achieve her own means, no matter the cost. Lastly, he gave her a pair of golden gauntlets.

In a blinding flash, the infant grew into a young woman of sixteen; her infant body could not hold the power that she now contained, and needed to age. In her original state, she looked almost mortal; closer inspection would reveal that she was not, that there was something almost fey in her features.

Her frame was tall and thin, like willow branches, with skin whiter than snow. Her face was angular, a trait of the royal Fire Nation family, without blemishes. Full red lips stood out against her pale skin, as did her slightly angled black eyebrows. Hair the color of polished ebony fell to her waist, caping her in darkness. Her sharp amber eyes glowed with wisdom, catching glimpses of the past, present, and future.

She wore an intricate black and red Earth Kingdom style dress, embroidered with golden swirls and a yin-yang. Her feet were shod with black leather air nomad shoes. Around her neck was an engagement necklace of the water tribes, though the pendant was a pure ruby crescent moon. Part of her hair was up, held back by the golden flame clip of the crown princess of the Fire Nation.

"Who am I?" she asked quietly. The sound broke through silence of the spirit world, awaking every soul to life. Spirits flocked around the newly formed deity, whispering no louder than a breeze.

"To the Earth, you are Tierney," commanded the Earth. She reached out and caressed the crystal necklace on the girl's neck lovingly. "Protect all."

"To the Air, you are Adelaide," said the Air. She used her power to tie the black silk scarf about the girl's waist, because she had no solid form. "Understand all."

"To the Water, you are Kameko," said Tui, turning to her lover La for confirmation. He nodded solemnly in agreement. They handed her the gold staff. "Judge all justly."

"To the Fire, you are Seraphina, as you were originally christened. But your immortal name is Zyta," intoned Fire. He took the gold gauntlets and put them on her hands. "Obey none."

Koh the face stealer came foreword with his own wisdom for the girl. "Everything is connected. There is no real difference between the Spirit World and the mortal realm, just a thin barrier. The universe will bend to your will."

"Go, find the Avatar," the four elements commanded, and a shudder passed through time itself.

Zyta nodded and left the spirit world for the mortal realm.


	2. Chapter 1

Here's the second chapter. For the record, I've named the first Avatar Azyr.

Diclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender

**Chapter 1! Now with sixty percent better grammar! Still confusing as hell 3**

1

Zyta crept slowly but purposefully toward the room of a very special young air monk. Presently the Ratava was in the guise the Air had given her, so her name was technically Adelaide. But at the moment, it did not matter. All that really mattered was catching Aang before he left. Not to stop him, of course. There would be no fun in that, and her centuries old plan would crumble before it even began.

Blending into the air, Adelaide slipped through the keyhole of his room. She relished the brief sensation of actually being an element; no matter how long she lived, Zyta never tired of it. Aang was at his desk, writing a letter. His tear-streaked face was heartbreaking, but Adelaide had a mission. There was no time for pity, no matter how much her heart bled for the young bender.

"Avatar Aang," she greeted as she materialized.

"GAH!" he yelled, jumping to the ceiling like a startled lemur. "Oh, Lady Adelaide!" he exclaimed angrily when he saw that it was only her. Adelaide was a common visitor to the Air Temple.

"You are running away." The phrasing made it clear that Adelaide was not asking a question. It was unfair that she knew what was going to happen and he didn't. Aang would be stricken when he found out. But her hands were tied; balance had to be maintained, even at the expense of a young boy's childhood.

"How-?" he began, then shook his head. "Never mind. Yes. They must have made a mistake; I can't be the Avatar. And I know I can't go up against the Fire Nation! They expect me to go defeat Fire Lord Sozen!"

"Shhh," Adelaide soothed, rubbing the top of his little bald head in an attempt to comfort him. "You are the Avatar. You picked the 4 relics; part of you spirit has resonated with your past lives. You can't escape it. But you must do as you see fit. Best of luck, Avatar Aang."

"You're not here to stop me?" he asked perplexed, trying to halt the tears of confusion and uncertainty that threatened to overflow. "Or hand me over to Monk Gyatso?"

"No, I'm here to tell you a story…"

-  
"The Avatar is gone!" yelled Monk Hai as he ran frantically into the council room. Stunned silence greeted his announcement. Monk Gyatso shoved past Hai, panting, his face red with exertion, concern, and a bit of frustration. "Aang has ran away!" the elder monk wailed.

"How is this possible?" demanded Monk Avram. "I want the entire area searched. The Avatar must be found!"

Zyta stepped out of the shadows, where she had stood waiting. "A moment, gentlemen," she said amiably. The monks all turned to look at her; their expressions ranged from shock to disapproval to relief at seeing her in her true form.

"Ratava Zyta, you would let your charge escape?" asked Monk Avram, trying to contain his fury. Ratava was the title Zyta had given herself, and she was rather proud if it; it was 'avatar' backwards.

Zyta laughed. "I let him go. He is heading toward the Southern Water Tribe. It really is for the best, though. Not even he could prevent the coming massacre."

"That was not your decision to make!" yelled Monk Avram. Some of the other monks nodded in agreement, their faces contorted in anger. Others were shocked at his impertinence; Zyta was a spiritual deity.

Zyta looked the head monk hard in the eyes, making him flinch back ever so slightly. She pulled some darkness from the shadow where she had been hiding into her hand as though she were bending water. The darkness turned into a perfect ball, swirling in fury like a stormy sea. "It seems that the head of the air nomads has forgotten his place."

"Lady Zyta, please! Aang, I'm so worried," interrupted Monk Gyatso desperately. He was clutching the doorframe, knuckles white. Aang was like the son he could never have.

The dark orb stopped churning. "You're right, Monk Gyatso. I will show you where Aang is," she said calmly. The dark ball turned into a smooth, flat, oval mirror of darkness. It shimmered a moment, then Aang could be seen on a flying bison somewhere over the ocean.

The monks watched in horror as their Avatar was overcome by a wave and pulled under the surging water. Unconscious and running out of oxygen, Aang went into the Avatar State. He froze himself into a giant sphere of ice, along with his bison.

"Aang!" cried Gyatsu. He rushed forward and touched the surface of the mirror. It swirled away in a wisp of black smoke, like it had never existed.

"What does this mean?" asked Monk Hai weakly.

Zyta sighed sadly. "The Fire Nation is on its way here as we speak to destroy the Air Nomads."

Silence reigned for several minutes. Finally, Monk Avram mustered the courage to ask, "What must we do?"

"Fight," she replied fiercely. They had no hope, but at least history could remember them favorably. Zyta was very fond of the Air Nomads. "Seal the Room. And show them no fear."

"Yes," whispered Monk Avram, thinking quickly. Turning to the other monks he ordered, "Alert everyone. Go quickly."

As the other monks scrambled to prepare for a battle they could not win, Monk Gyatsu looked back at Zyta. "What of you, my lady? Will you fight with us, or do you have a higher purpose here today?"

Zyta shook her head. "I must go to the Fire Nation and wait for the time to be right. Good luck, great understanding, much determination, and fierce heartedness go with you Monk Gyatsu. You will need it."

-  
"Fire Lord Sozen," Zyta greeted as she twirled into the throne room of the Emperial Fire Nation Palace.

Sozen didn't look the least bit startled by her appearance in his throne room; rather, he seemed to be expecting it. "Ancestor Seraphina, how lovely for you to drop in," he smiled. The old man almost sounded convincing.

Zyta unconsciously pulled some darkness from the corners of the room into black flame shapes licking the floor around her feet. "It is wonderful to see you again grandson. Let's not banter around the topic though," Zyta smiled chillingly. "Why are you genociding my Air Nomads?"

The Fire Lord pretended to think about the question she posed for a moment, then said, "Because the Fire Nation is meant to rule all the other nations. Because Fire Bending is superior to all the other types of bending, save for your darkness. Because I have been given the Mandate of Heaven, the Divine Right for me and my family to rule all the Nations under one banner."

Zyta shook her head in disgust. "If that right belongs to any one, it would be to the Avatar or myself, not you grandson. I cannot believe my own line has such insanity in it."

Sozen laughed at Zyta's statement. He had a cruel laugh, ingrained with such malice that it was a wonder the Fire Nation had let him rule for so long. "Insanity?" he cackled. "Genious is more accurate. I had the Fire Sages look into the future, and what a future I saw. My son, Azulon, will have two sons, Iroh and Ozai. Iroh will be an old fool. Ozai, will be the pride of our line. He will have two children as well. Azula and Zuko. Ozai and Zuko will over throw the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes. They will use my comet, the one I am using at this very moment to begin this 'insane' war, and end it. Flames will encircle the nations, and our line will have total domination!"

Fire shot out of the walls and floor toward Zyta. Sozen's own blue fire swirled about her, trying to kill her. Zyta waved a hand, and the flames burst away like burning butterflies. Zyta ran at the Fire Lord, faster than human perception, and bound him to his throne with ropes made of shadow.

"Hear this, grandson, and hear it well. The Fire Sages are not the only ones who can read the future. Azulon will have Iroh, the Dragon of the West, and Ozai Fire Lord. Ozai will marry the granddaughter of your best friend, Avatar Roku. Ozai's daughter Azula shall be infected with the same madness the rest of our line has, but Zuko shall be our redeeming grace. He shall be a perfect mixture of my Ratava soul and the Avatar spirit. He will have a constant war within his heart, but he alone of our line shall I call my and Azyr's son. The power he shall wield will surpass all Fire Bending you have ever known.

"My true son, the son of my heart, my mind, and my spirit will reverse the chaos you have begun," Zyta intoned. Her voice resonated through the throne room, each echo like a slap in the face to Sozen.

"I forbid you to stay in the Fire Nation!" screeched Sozen as he struggled against his shadowy bonds. "You are banished!"

"The Fire Lord cannot banish the Dragon Empress," Zyta stated with disinterest. "I will leave you now though, grandson. Preparations must be made."

"Preparations for what?" demanded Sozen, still fighting his constraints like a mad man in a straight jacket.

Zyta smiled and had to hold back a laugh. "Why, for the return of the Avatar of course." In a wisp of smoke, Zyta disappeared.

The bonds on the Fire Lord fell, but he still felt trapped. Sozen's face contorted in fury, and he let loose a howl like a wounded animal. His guards ran into the room, ready for battle. "Where is the danger, Lord Sozen?" asked the head guard, looking frantically back and forth for any threat.

"Burn all evidence that Ratava Zyta, and Dragon Empress Seraphina ever existed! I want her out of the history of our Nation!" bellowed Sozen.

And it was done. Fire Nation soldiers went far and wide destroying all traces of the Ratava. They completely erased Seraphina from the Fire Nation, though they could not entirely eradicate Tierney from the Earth Kingdom, and Kameko from the Water Tribes. They didn't bother eradicating Adelaide from the Air Temples though, because they didn't think anyone would go near the old temples.

-  
In case anyone was wondering, 'Scaccarium' is the Latin word for chess.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two. The confusion continues.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender

**So, maybe it's just me, but does anyone else remember Azulon? The grand-whatever Azula was named after? I think my memory might just be shot, but I made him the grandfather and Sozen the great-grandfather. Might be wrong. Oh well.**

2

Almost one hundred years passed from the time Sozen started the war. Azulon took the throne when his father died, and ruled with an iron fist. All that had once been important in Fire Nation culture was erased and military lifestyle was introduced. The queen, Avatar Roku's granddaughter, killed Azulon in his sleep to prevent Zuko from being killed. Ozai, through trickery, took the throne.

Zyta had been in the palace the whole time under different disguises; only Iroh and the queen knew her true identity. At the nudging of the Queen, Fire Lord Ozai adopted Zyta who was under the name Raynor, an orphaned kitchen girl. The queen's Avatar spirit recognized the Ratava in Zyta, making her want to help in any way she could. Zyta mourned the banishment of the queen more than any one, with the exception of Zuko.

Fire swirled pasted Raynor's head, but she paid the disturbingly close brush no mind. Fire could not hurt her; she was fire. A quick thrust of her hand sent a jet of flame streaming at her opponent, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. They were practicing under the watchful eye of Uncle Iroh in the fading evening light.

The flames stopped before they could engulf Zuko completely, but they still scorched his arms a little. "Rayz wins again," Uncle Iroh declared with a chuckle. He was sitting under a tree in the palace courtyard, playing shogi.

"Why do you always win?" roared Zuko, throwing fire everywhere in a temper tantrum.

Raynor smiled and bounded over to her adopted brother. "Because I'm amazing. And you can't keep a stream going long enough to win. And you couldn't hit the broad side of a flying bison."

"What on earth is a flying bison?" he demanded, his anger cooling a little. Distraction was the only way to calm Zuko when he got in one of his moods. Otherwise he would be angry for three days then mope around for a week.

Raynor rolled her eyes. "The Fire Nation learned bending from the dragons, Water Tribes learned from the moon, the Earth Kingdom learned from badger-moles, and the Air Nomads learned from flying bison."

"How do you know that?" asked Zuko incredulously. The things his adopted sister knew always amazed him. Zuko never tired of listening to Raynor explain things, because she always made it sound like she had been there when it happened.

"Because unlike you, Zuzu, Rayn knows how to read," Azula said lazily as she approached. She had been watching the practice from one of the windows of the palace and decided to have a bit of fun. "Uncle, may I spar with Rayn?"

"I don't see why not," Uncle Iroh said cautiously. He didn't trust Azula. "Rayz, do you want to spar with Azula?"

"Sure, why not?" replied Raynor lightly. She and Azula smiled at each other for a long moment, waiting. Suddenly Azula, ever the aggressor, let loose a volley of flaming kicks at Raynor.

Raynor jumped lithely over the flames, easily going ten feet up in the air. _Thank you Air bending,_ she thought. While still in the air, Raynor splayed her fingers and shot fire from each of them, braiding the tendrils of fire into a dragon. She sent it soaring at Azula, who had no time to react. The dragon opened its jaws and swallowed her, passing lightly around her without burning more than the tips of her hair.

"Rayz wins again," said Iroh, this time with a sigh of relief. Azula fought dirty. Although Iroh knew who Raynor really was and what she was capable of, Azula's thirst for blood and cunning still worried him.

Fire Lord Ozai walked into the courtyard clapping. "Bravo, Raynor. Where ever did you learn that?" he asked curiously.

"At the fire festival last year. A gypsy taught me how to do a small one, and I simply adapted it to a larger form," she answered calmly. A lie, but how does a kitchen girl explain that she learned that from the Spirit of Fire himself in the Spirit World centuries ago?

"Well, it was spectacular. I'm holding a war council this afternoon, and as you know, all the war councils have to be opened with a display of Fire Bending. I would be a wonderful display of young talent to our old generals if you would be so kind as to show them that routine," said Ozai. It was not really a suggestion, and not really an order. The subtext was all that mattered in the Fire Nation Royal Court, making phrasing expressly important but word choice irrelevant. Raynor hated it.

"Yes, father," Raynor bowed demurely, the picture of a grateful child being given an honor she does not deserve.

"Brother," Iroh said warningly. "Do you think it's a good idea for Rayz to be in this war council?"

"I trust my daughter. Even though she cannot rule our country after me, it is my greatest wish that she be advisor to Azula or Zuko when they take the throne. It will be great training for her," explained Ozai. "As a matter of fact, Zuko why don't you attend as well? Azula came to the last one as the 'opening act', so you should come to this one."

"Yes father," Zuko bowed, enthusiasm lacing his voice.

-  
Raynor was dressed in her finest, a kimono in the traditional Fire Nation black, covered in red dragons. Her long black hair was pulled up into a red metal hairpin shaped as a flame. She stood in the darkest corner of the room, waiting to open the council. Her Ratava spirit was restless and aggravated because she was showcasing low level bending, in her opinion. That, and the fact that she was about to weave the magic that would slowly release the Avatar from his icy prison.

Zuko was sitting in the prince's spot near the head of the table where his father would sit. Uncle Iroh was right next to him, looking worried.

At the signal from her 'father', Raynor walked to the front of the room. She splayed her fingers and shot the fire into the air, weaving it into a dragon. In the brief seconds in which the dragon was forming, she had used energy bending and put green flames into the dragon, for awakening and rejuvenation. Raynor flew the dragon around the room a few times, then had it explode into a hundred smaller dragons that flew out the back door. All the way to the Southern Water tribe, where an icy young form awaited their slow thawing gift.

This earned her clapping from the Fire Lord and the council, who only saw the fire bending. After her bow, Raynor demurely took her place at the princess's seat, directly across from Zuko and to the left of Ozai.

"How goes it in the Earth Kingdom?" Ozai asked the room.

"We have devised a plan," began one man. "We will have a large force positioned near Ba-Sing-Se, but they will only be lightly armed. Most will be men too young or too old for fighting. The Earth King will think he needs a large army to defeat it. Then, while the fake force is being slaughtered, we will send another group in from behind to eradicate the Earth Kingdom army."

"You would have a force of men killed, just to make a small dent in the earth Kingdom forces?" Zuko demanded rudely.

"You insolent child," began the man, but Iroh cut him off.

"Zuko, you dishonor him!" he hissed, trying to stop Zuko from doing any more damage.

Zuko glared at the older man, ignoring his Uncle's warning. "I do not fear him."

-  
"Why would you do that?" demanded Raynor as she paced angrily. They were in Zuko's room, trying to figure out a plan to save Zuko from being humiliated. "I was about to suggest a better plan, but no. You had to barge in and rebuke that old general with your haughty prince authority, dishonoring him and getting yourself into an agnikai!"

"Ray, I can take him. He's way past his prime, and I doubt he can even walk without a cane. I'll be fine. You're a far better bender than he is, and I've been sparring with you for years. I'll see you in the morning, I need to get some sleep before the fire fight," he said in a dismissive tone. Raynor turned to leave, shaking her head in disgust. "Ray?" She turned around. The timid, uncertain note in his voice made her pause in her dramatic exit. "You'll be there, right, Ray? You won't leave me, will you?"

Her expression softened. "No, Zuzu, I won't let you face this by yourself. Uncle and I will be there for you."

-  
"Iroh, I can't stop this firefight," Zyta said for what seemed like the thousandth time. "It would be suspicious if the Fire Lord didn't participate in the agnikai, and that could make the grand plan fall apart." Zyta was in her true form talking with her 'uncle' in the House of the White Lotus, which she had helped found.

"Zuko will be killed!" Iroh roared, slamming his fist on the table. "You want the plan to fall to pieces because the next Dragon Emperor was killed before he could find his destiny?"

Zyta grabbed her tankard filled with liquid darkness and drank deeply. "I'm having an idea, Iroh. I'll let the agnikai go on, but Ozai will only severely burn Zuko. I'll heal him mostly when he's in the infirmary. Then Ozai shall banish Zuko from the Fire Nation, and you will go with him. Sail for three years, because that's what I set the spell of release for, and head to the Southern Water Tribe. You'll find the Avatar there."

A shudder passed through the building, like a ripple passing through time. Sometimes voicing the future is all that is required to set it in stone. "That will be a fine working plan. This would be so much easier if I could remember our plans outside of a White Lotus House," Iroh grumbled. For his protection, Zyta set a spell on him that erased part of his memory whenever he stepped out of a White Lotus House; when he reentered, the memories returned. "You'll heal the worst of it with water bending, of course."

"Of course. And I'll wait for you at the Southern Water Tribe."

"A real airbender," chuckled Iroh. That is what Iroh looked forward to the most (other than his nephew becoming the Dragon Emperor). Airbenders were remembered as being charming, worldly, wise, and fun loving. Iroh had often thought that perhaps he should have been born as an airbender. "This will give my brother something to lose sleep about."

-  
Raynor sat at the front of the arena in her brother's seat. On the field Zuko stood in the beginning position, his head bent low while he crouched on one knee. Across the field, unknown to Zuko, their 'father' mirrored the stance.

The air was thick with tension and a sick delight. Azula looked as though she had just been named Dragon Empress. Raynor could feel the smugness rolling of her 'sister' in waves. She ignored it though, and prepared to manipulate the two competitors' minds subtly.

The horn sounded. Zuko rose and turned to face his opponent, expecting the old man. Shock surged through him as he saw his father there, ready to duel. "Father!" Zuko fell to his knees at Zyta's mental order.

"Stand and fight," commanded the Fire Lord.

"No," Zuko replied, cowering.

"Then you are no son of mine." Fire whirled through the air and struck Zuko in the face.

-  
"Don't heal too much, water wench," ordered a guard who had helped carry Zuko to the palace hospital. He spun on his heel, leaving Kameko to do her water bending.

"Lady Zyta," said Iroh as he rushed into the room. "Quickly, his father is coming!"  
"It's Kameko, Iroh. No one needs to know that I'm here." She pulled some water from the bowl next to her and covered all of Zuko's face with it. Blue light shown for a moment, then she pulled the water gently from his healed face. Kameko then summoned liquid fire and etched flames around Zuko's left eye. The effect was stunning. It looked as though the mark really was fire; the painful looking mark appeared to be flickering with a life of its own.

"Out, water wench," the Fire Lord ordered. Kameko pretended to be frightened and ran from the room with a whimper.

In the hallway she quickly resumed her form as Raynor and walked right back into the room. "Father, is he going to be all right?" she gushed, kneeling at Zuko's side in faux concern. She knew he would be okay; no one had greater healing powers than the Ratava.

Ozai looked at her with a face full of his own fake concern. "I think so. Lucky I only grazed his eye. If he ever sees out of it again, it will be a miracle."

Iroh cleared his throat and said stiffly, "I think that I should get Zuko ready to go."

"Go where?" demanded Raynor. _To the Southern Water Tribes in search of the Avatar and the Ratava Zyta,_ she mentally nudged Ozai.

"I have banished Zuko for cowardice. He must go in search of the Avatar and bring him back here to regain his honor. Or, find the Ratava Zyta," explained Ozai calmly. After he said the words, he looked confused, as though he didn't know where they had come from.

-  
"I'll miss you, Ray," mumbled Zuko into Raynor's shoulder as they hugged good-bye. "It's not fair."

They stood on the deck of a single ship on a forgotten harbor. Gulls keened mournfully overhead, adding to the misery of the situation.

Raynor stepped back to look her 'brother' in the eye. He was scared; Zuko was trying to put on a brave and defiant front, but Raynor saw through his bravado. Zuko had every right to be scared. He was a young boy being thrown out of his country into parts unknown with only his uncle to guide him. His family had practically ejected him from their lives. Fear was perfectly acceptable under such circumstances, especially for one so young.

"You'll be back. Father says you must 'regain your honor'. Remember Z, some people are born great, others must achieve greatness. You were born great, and no one can take that from you," declared Raynor. Greatness was his birthright, and if the Ratava had any say in the situation, he would inherit it soon.

"Not according to father," muttered Zuko dejectedly, turning to look out at the steel gray water.

Changing the subject, Raynor asked, "What are you going to do?"

Zuko kept his amber eyes on the water, as though the answers to all of his problems were hidden just beyond the horizon. "I think I'll look for the Ratava. All my forefathers looked for the Avatar without success, and they had the power of the Fire Nation behind them. They never really bothered with the Ratava, whatever that is."

"The Ratava was the a princess of the Fire Nation. She was named Seraphina, which means fiery. The four elements decided that someone needed to balance the Avatar and his powers, so they took Seraphina and imbued her with the powers of the Four Elements. She is immortal, can bend darkness, uses magic, and is a shapeshifter. Every nation had a different name for her, but the Four Great Spirits named her Zyta. She fell in love with the first Avatar, a Fire Nation man named Azyr. The Avatar and Ratava were actually the first of the Fire Nation royal family; you are their descendant.

"Zyta held the title of Dragon Empress, but so she could leave her duties behind she gave the right to rule temporarily to her son and called him 'Fire Lord'. When the Fire Nation destroyed the Air Nomads a hundred years ago, Zyta disappeared as well. She's probably still out there, but you'll never find her," explained Raynor with a yawn. She was fond of her own history. Once the war was over, she promised herself, she would tell Zuko the whole story.

"How do you know that?" Zuko demanded, impressed and peeved at the same time. "I asked everywhere, and no one knew who or what a Ratava was. And father wouldn't see me."

Iroh walked slowly up the gangplank to where the two were standing. "It is almost time to go, Prince Zuko," he reminded gently. If he felt bad about leaving the Fire Nation, Iroh did not show it. Perhaps he had finally grown tired of his brother's twisted war.

"Yes uncle," sighed Zuko. He walked away slowly. The reluctance to leave his home, the land he was supposed to lead one day, was obvious in Zuko's movements. With a sympathetic glance at Zuko's retreating form, Iroh turned to Raynor.

"We will head to the Southern Water Tribes at a slow pace. If we need you, how should I contact you?" asked Iroh. His amber eyes glinted with carefully contained excitement. The plan he had waited so long for was finally beginning to unfold.

"As I said, preparations must be made. I will be traveling for a time. If all goes according to plan, I'll meet you at the Southern Water Tribe. If you absolutely have to reach me, call for my dragon. His name is Nuri; shout his name thrice into a bolt of lightning and he will come. Be careful, grandson," Raynor said sternly, giving her uncle a hug.

"Ancestor, no mortal could live as long as I have without being careful," he replied with a chuckle, embracing the young girl fondly. "Best of luck."

Raynor walked off the ship and stood on the docks while her 'brother' sailed to parts unknown. She stood at the docks, watching the ship until it disappeared into the horizon. _No time for misery, there is work to be done._

-  
"Father, I wish to travel abroad for a time," Raynor declared that night as she ate with Ozai and Azula. With the prince gone, the princess and Fire Lord were basking in a victory only they could understand. They had finally destroyed all the weak links in their family, which some how meant that victory in the war was assured.

"I know Zuko's banishment is hard on you, but if you just give it time things will adjust. Besides, you must stay here and learn so that you may be Azula's adviser," replied Ozai as he lifted a goblet of wine to his smirking lips.

"That's why I want to leave. If I am going to be adviser to the next Fire Lord, shouldn't I be well learned in all the cultures, not just our own? Shouldn't I be learning military tactics where they are practiced? And shouldn't every member of the Fire Nation Royal Court be well traveled?" Raynor reasoned. All were valid points. Sadly, the Fire Lord was not known for his ability to listen to reason.

Silence reigned for several minutes as Ozai pondered the request. Finally, Azula said , "I think she's right, father. If she will be advising me, I want her to be as knowledgeable as possible."

"Very well. In the morning, you may set sail to the Earth Kingdom with a war ship," sighed Ozai.

"I was hoping that I could go, alone," said Raynor hopefully. Ozai opened his mouth to argue, but Raynor interrupted. "How am I supposed to learn if I'm accompanied by Fire Nation soldiers? The rest of the nations fear us. It would be detrimental to my reason for going in the first place."

"Out of the question!" the Fire Lord roared. Flames danced around his hands, angrily lashing out at the table. Servants rushed to douse the flames before any damage could be done. "I lost one child today, I refuse to let another leave our borders unprotected!"

"Father," began Azula timidly, "You let Tylee and Mei go off to parts unknown on their own so that they could better advise me as well. Raynor has no royal blood, she won't be in any danger."

"Fine, go!" spat the Fire Lord, standing abruptly. With a cold glare at his adopted child, he continued, "And don't come back until you have collected the Four Bending Spirits' Blessings!" Ozai then stormed out of the room.

-  
Early the next morning, Raynor left the palace without a word to anyone. Having lost favor with the Fire Lord, it was safest to leave without a fuss. Her destination was the same forgotten pier where Zuko had departed the day before.

As she stepped out onto the dock, her feet passing silently over the worn boards, Raynor let her disguise fall. Zyta stood free of her temporary mortal guise. Shadows sprang from under the pier to swirl gracefully at her feet, like a dark pet. Being dressed for travel, her long black hair was braided down her back.

Around her waist was a red silk scarf. About her neck hung a ruby and onyx yin-yang pendant like a Water Tribe engagement necklace. In her left hand she held a golden staff crowned with a mirror ball. Her hands were sheathed in black gloves up to the elbows. Ironically, these were the Four Bending Spirits' Blessings that Ozai had told her to find.

The transformation took place in a matter of moments. In the same step that had put her to the edge of the pier, Zyta whipped her hand out and shot lightening up into the sky. "Nuri, Nuri, Nuri!" she shouted gleefully. The Ratava had not seen her dragon for a long time.

A return shot of lightening hit the water in front of Zyta, sending up billows of steam. When the flash cleared, a huge, glittering red dragon floated, waiting for his master.

"Hello, my Lady Zyta," he said telepathically. Reaching his long neck out, he nuzzled her affectionately. Nuri's head was as big as Zyta's torso, but she hugged him back fiercely. "We have been apart for far too long. Climb onto my back, and we shall go wherever you heart desires."

"I missed you too, Nuri," Zyta said as she hopped lithely onto his back, reveling in the feeling of his smooth scales under her hands. "We are heading to the Southern Air Temple."

"Yes, my lady." The dragon surged into the air with a single flap of his wings. "Now tell me, what all that has occurred since we parted?"

"A hundred years you have been in the care of the Sun Warriors. All this mess actually began in the Southern Air Temple, with a young Avatar named Aang…"


	4. Chapter 3

Looking back on this story, I could have written it much better. But oh well. In this episode, Zyta makes a little bit of preparation for the return of the Avatar.

**So, I know I spend a lot of time describing how Zyta looks and I feel I owe an explanation to anyone who's reading this. I do a lot of various arts and crafts stuff (sew, bead, embroider, crochet, quilt, but who's counting?) and so does my mother, whom I'm very close to. I grew up caring how things were made. This some how managed to translate into describing my characters' clothing in depth, because I find it important. It's not integral to the story line, so those who don't like it can skip it. It's a habit I'm trying to break .**

3

"I request an audience with King Boomie," Zyta stated calmly to the guard outside the palace in Oma-Shu. Currently she was in the form that the Earth Spirit had given her, so her name was Tierney. Her hazel eyes, which peered out from behind wispy bangs from a slightly rounded face, held an assurance that she would be admitted to the palace. Tossing her waist-length dark honey blond hair, kept mostly back with a light green silk headband, behind her shoulders Tierney waited impatiently.

Her clothes were a long deep green dress of the earth nation style, without sleeves and covered in intricate golden embroidery shaped like curls of smoke; Tierney wore no shoes but had golden cloth anklets bound by green metal. On her hands were gold silk finger-less gloves that went up her creamy forearms. A golden and green flowered belt cinched about her waist, from which a gold fan dangled. Around her neck was a diamond rose, suspended by a thick rope of pure gold composed of intertwined chains. The metal was woven to resemble the scales of a reptile. The physical manifestation Bending Spirits' Blessings, or her birthday presents as she like to call them, changed form whenever she did.

Needless to say, the guard was a bit baffled on why such a pretty young girl would want an audience with the old, crazy King Boomie. "Uummm," he stammered, looking to his fellow guards for help. They were just as baffled; no one asked for an audience with the king anymore. "The king does not wish to be disturbed."

"Hagaha," snorted King Boomie from behind the guard, coming up to surprise him. Boomie had been watching from his peephole in the wall, spying like he usually did. "I have no problem being disturbed by Tierney. Do you know who she is?"

"No, sir," said the guard, snapping to attention.

"She is the Ratava in Earth form, and don't you forget it. She has been earth bending since before I was born, so show her the respect she deserves. Tierney mothered the royal line of the Earth Kingdom, I'll have you know," laughed Boomie. The guard nodded dutifully; he did not believe the crazy king. Boomie liked to spin a tale, and the guards were usually the only ones who would listen to his ravings.

Tierney grabbed Boomie into a bear hug. "It's good to see you again, my friend."

"Careful, I'm not as young as I was back when we were racing lizard hounds," he laughed. "Come inside. Now a days, visits from the Ratava are never social."

"I'm waking Aang," Tierney stated bluntly the moment the throne room doors sealed shut. Boomie had sent all the guards out so that they could talk in private, and then sealed the doors with earth bending.

"Well, you still don't like to mince words, now do you?" replied Boomie as he flopped onto his throne of stone. "You've let him freeze for a century. Why bother waking him now?"

"I'm ending the war," she said simply, trying to hide the many swirling emotions that threatened to overcome her at that simple sentence. "And as one of my White Lotus, I have a job for you."

Boomie thought for a moment. "What do you need me to do?" he finally said, mischief in his eyes.

"I'm sending Aang to learn waterbending first," Tierney began, "but he'll stop here on the way. He is young, the same age as he was the last time you saw him. Aang has not grown up. He needs any bit of wisdom that you see fit to impart on him."

"That, I can do," chuckled Boomie, pulling some rock over to juggle. "But how will this help him defeat the Fire Lord?"

"Aang will not have enough time to learn all the firebending he needs to challenge the Fire Lord to an agnikai, so I have made preparations for him to learn to take Ozai's firebending away permanently."

Boomie whistled appreciatively. "You don't mess around."

-  
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Kameko," Master Wu said with a polite bow. Zyta was in her form as Kameko at the Northern Water Tribes. The Fire Nation had not been able to eradicate knowledge of Kameko from the Northern Tribe; they still knew who she was and what she embodied. "How may I be of service?"

"I am waking the Avatar soon, and you will teach him waterbending," she replied firmly, her blue eyes sparkling mirthfully.

Wu sputtered on the wine he was sipping, making Kameko laugh outright. "Excuse me?"

"As one of my White Lotus, you must do as I say," she reminded him smugly. "I want you to be his waterbending master."

"Such an honor belongs to you, not I. For I cannot teach him the healing he will need to learn, nor the ways of bloodbending," Wu lightly protested. He was being difficult for the sake of argument; it was a trait shared among master water benders. Wu was of course elated at the prospect of training the Avatar.

"Those are not necessary skills to defeat the Fire Lord. He will only need the basics when he first comes. Aang will return here after the war is over to finish his training properly," Kameko explained. Not that it mattered; Aang would pick water bending up very quickly. He would no longer need a master after his first visit.

"As you wish, Lady Kameko," Wu replied respectfully. He bowed once more as Kameko melted into the floor of ice, heading off to her next destination.

-  
"Jongjong!" Seraphina yelled, walking briskly through the forest to see her favorite old rascal. "Jongjong you old fox, get out here!"

Fire swirled past Seraphina's head. "I am in hiding! That means that no one should know where I am! Stop yelling!" shouted Jongjong from somewhere up in the trees. His paranoia kept him hidden and safe; Seraphina could respect that by not hauling him out of the brush with the shadows that lay abundantly in the undergrowth.

"Fine, stay up there, but I have a job for you, and as one of my White Lotus you have no choice but to obey!" replied Seraphina. Not that Jongjong would refuse her anyway; he was loyal to her claim as Dragon Empress, and was one of the few Fire Nation citizens who knew she existed. "I'm waking the Avatar. He'll come here asking you to teach him firebending. Teach him less than the bare minimum, no more. The war will be over soon, and then you can come home."

"I will obey my Dragon Empress," came the immediate, if not slightly waspish, reply.

-  
"And you say you want to see Grangran?" questioned Sokka for the tenth time. Kameko had arrived in the Southern Water Tribe without Nuri; dragons had suffered a great injustice in the Southern Tribe centuries prior and still did not enjoy visiting.

"Yes, Sokka, I want to see Grangran," she sighed. The Southern Tribe's decay extended far beyond the physical structure of the village and the lack of benders; a generation had grown up without knowing their heritage or the role of the Ratava. "Never mind, I'll find her myself."

Kameko walked off into the village, leaving a sputtering Sokka in her wake. There in the center of the huddle of tents stood Grangran, tending a fire pit. "Greetings, elder," Kameko greeted the old woman with a smile.

"Greetings, waterbender," replied Grangran, glancing up from her task. The fading light cast a shadow on Kameko, stirring old memories in her mind. "You seem familiar. But, that can't be possible."

Kameko smiled. "May we talk in private?"

They headed to the main hut where the leader of the Southern Tribe was supposed to live. Since no male of the tribe was old enough to be chief, Grangran led them the best she could. Kameko opened the hut, reminiscent of an igloo, with a flick of her wrist and some waterbending.

"We have not had a true master waterbender in the Southern Tribe for years. I miss it so," sighed Grangran sadly as she stepped into the hut. It was polite of the young bender to open the side of the hut; Grangran's back was not what it used to be.

Kameko sealed the wall back behind them before answering. "Yes, back when the tribe was renowned for its use of vapor. Northern uses ice, Swamp uses liquid, and the South used vapor. I was so sad when your benders were taken to the Boiling Rock."

Grangran's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You seem to know a lot about our history for one from the Northern Tribe. Who exactly are you?"

"I am Kameko of the Long Life, the Ratava, bending made flesh," replied Kameko with a smile. "And you are one of my White Lotus."

Grangran dropped to one knee in shock, angry with herself for not recognizing Kameko sooner. "How may I serve you, Lady Kameko?"

"I am waking the Avatar. He is near. When he wakes, give him shelter. And when he leaves, let Katara and Sokka go with him."

"They are all I have left, my lady," argued Grangran. Panic shot through her at the request; her daughter and son-in-law were dead. The Tribe was in ruins. Katara and Sokka were their only hope. "Please, let me keep them. Anything but them."

"They will return home eventually, and the South will have a bender once more, in Katara. She must go with the Avatar to the Northern Tribe and learn her bending. And when the war is over, I promise to teach her the Southern Style Waterbending," vowed Kameko firmly. "I will help rebuild this Tribe to its former glory."

Grangran knew that the Lady of the Long Life always kept her promises. If sacrificing her grandchildren would restore the Southern Water Tribe, then as leader she had no choice. "As you wish, my Lady Kameko."


	5. Chapter 4

Here's the fourth chapter. Things finally might start following the original! GASP!

**As I was rewriting this, I realized that I had this odd habit of putting the verb before the proper noun when writing dialogue ("shouted Bob" rather than "Bob shouted"). It's okay every now and then, but it was a constant occurrence. Lord only knows what I was thinking…**

4

"Lady Kameko! You're back!" exclaimed Katara as she jogged through the village to greet her some-what mentor. Three years had passed since Kameko warned Grangran of her plans. Kameko spent most of her time making preparations for the return of the Avatar. "I've missed you so much!"

"I have missed you as well, Katara," laughed Kameko, hugging the young water bender. Katara needed a teacher, and as much as Kameko would have liked to instruct the eager young girl, it was not her place. "Where is your Grangran?"

"In her hut. I'm going out with Sokka to catch some fish for dinner, but I'll be back soon!" Katara said with a regretful smile as she ran off to catch up with her brother.

Kameko walked up to the back of the hut and opened it with waterbending, almost exactly the way she had done three years prior. This time, the master formed a graceful arch to step through, giving a grand show for the little girls sitting outside watching. Kameko sealed it behind her with a little wave at the young children. "Grangran, today is the day," she informed the old lady. Grangran sat by the fire, stirring a pot of medicinal ointment.

"So I feared. Well, my wishes and what is best aren't always the same things," sighed Grangran as she stood up, her joints creaking. "Just keep my grandchildren safe, Lady Kameko. This venture will change them, and I fear they will never be the same again."

"All things change over time. Time makes us what we are, for better or for worse. Let me show you what I see in your grandchildren, and maybe you will be a little more willing to let them leave," said Kameko. She understood better than perhaps any other what the ravages of time could do to a person. Grangran needed a little peace of mind.

The Ratava drew water up from the floor into a smooth oval mirror of liquid about a foot wide and two feet long. "Water, show what is to come," she gently bid the mirror. For seeing the future Zyta typically preferred fire, but being in a Water Tribe that had been destroyed by fire benders deleted that option. The surface of the mirror shimmered a moment, then Sokka could be seen putting a boat in the water for fishing.

Images began soaring across the mirror. Sokka commanding troops. Forging a black sword. Leading Water Tribe men into battle. Rescuing his father from the Boiling Rock. Coming home with a bride. Ruling the Southern Water Tribe as chief. Being frozen with the great chiefs of old in a glacier tomb. All this and more swam across the mirror's surface.

Suddenly the mirror turned black. Then Katara floated into view, trying to catch a fish with waterbending. Her images began flitting across the surface. Teaching herself waterbending. Healing her hands. Fighting pirates. Mastering waterbending under Master Wu. Teaching the Avatar. Becoming a blood bender. Defeating the Fire Nation Princess. Coming home to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe. Teaching the next generation of southern waterbenders. Katara being liquefied by the Ratava in her old age and returned the water, an old honor from a time forgotten.

Tears streaked Grangran's face as Kameko returned the part of the floor she had used. "I want them to go. They will do great things," the old woman said at last as she wiped an errant tear from her eye.

"You will remember none of this unless you stare into the eyes of a Master Fire Bender," intoned Kameko. A red reflective light appeared behind the old woman's eyes, like the film in a cat's eye. It was the spell that would recognize a Master Fire Bender; Kameko chose fire benders because Grangran was the least likely to come across one of them. "I am going to complete the spell that will wake the Avatar."

-  
Zyta stood atop a glacier looking over Katara and Sokka. They seemed to be having an argument of some sort. Un-denounced to the two teens, the Avatar and his flying bison were kept frozen directly behind them.

"By my magic bound, by my magic be released. Fire heat, water melt, air breathe life, earth give consciousness. Raise the Avatar from his prison!" Zyta commanded, the ghost of a smile on her lips. The elements leapt eagerly from her outstretched arms to attack the sphere of ice. A deafening crack split the iceberg in two. Fog spilled out dramatically. The Avatar had awoken.

-  
"Sokka, Katara, bring him in here," Kameko ordered as she waterbent the side of the hut away. There were no children to entertain this time; everyone had hidden until Kameko assured them it was safe. The siblings laid Aang down on the mat.

"Will he be alright?" asked Katara. Concern shone in her eyes. That was Katara's problem; she cared too much about everything. If she didn't stop trying to make the entire world safe from itself, she would burn herself out before she was any use.

"I will see to him. He will be fine, he just needs rest," smiled Kameko. "Now go and see if you can catch something for dinner. He'll want food when he wakes up." Shooing Katara out, Kameko sealed the hut behind the untrained bender.

Kameko looked upon the most recent reincarnation of her love, Azyr. This airbender bore little resemblance to the first Avatar, though there was no reason to expect a similarity; Azyr had been a firebender. Shaking her nostalgic thoughts away, Kameko went to work.

Removing his shirt, Kameko bared his airbender tattoos that marked him as a master to the cold air. His blood was still laced with ice crystals from being frozen too long, and his chi needed to be unblocked. Kameko heated the ice in his veins, turning it into water then drawing it out his pores. Then she took darkness from the corner of the room (she had not lit a fire yet) and bent it as water over his feet. Darkness was her favorite medium to bend; it was unique to her and therefore acted however she wished.

Kameko slowly brought the shadows up his body, healing as she went and releasing the chakra. Next she cocooned him carefully in the darkness. The Ratava began bending the darkness as fire, heating it to prevent the young airbender from going into hypothermic shock. Finally, she took the bare-minimum amount of lightning she could, so that it was really just static, and jump-started his heart. Kameko stood up and brushed the darkness back to its place like wisps of smoke. A snap of her fingers started a fire in the fire pit to keep Aang warm. Waterbending the back of the hut out of the way, Kameko stepped outside.

"Will he live?" asked Grangran. The old woman had waited patiently outside of her own hut, eager for the news on the young boy's health.

"Yes, yes he will."

-  
"Grangran, Lady Kameko, he's awake!" yelled Katara as she crawled out of the hut. Behind her crawled Aang, looking more alive than he had been in a century and smiling like the sun.

Grangran stepped forward to greet him. "I am the leader of this tribe. You can call me Grangran. This is my granddaughter Katara, a waterbender, and my grandson Sokka, our warrior."

"And this is Lady Kameko, from the Northern Water Tribe," said Katara exuberantly. Kameko smiled at the young airbender and gave him an inclination of her head.

"It is an honor to meet you all," bowed Aang. To Lady Kameko have gave a puzzled look and said, "I knew a Lady Kameko once, a very long time ago."

"Come," Kameko said, gesturing to outside the village. "I have much to tell you, young airbender."

Kameko and Aang walked out to the top of the glacier where Zyta had woken him. Kameko suddenly dropped her disguise and stood there as Zyta, her darkness seeming to pull the bright glare of the sun into a void that existed all around her. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Avatar Aang," she said with a grin.

"AHHHHH!" he yelled, jumping ten feet into the air. It was the reaction she had hoped for. "Ratava Zyta!"

Zyta grabbed his ankle with an air current and pulled him back down to the ground. "Not so loud," she chided. "Not many people know I still exist, and those that do don't know all the time."

"Yes, Lady Zyta," Aang said with a deep bow. Air nomads, she thought with a chuckle. The go from silly to spiritual in a split second.

"Stop that," Zyta snapped half-heartedly. Telling an airbender to stop being respectful was like telling a firebender to calm down. "You are the Avatar, we are equal. And you must stop the Fire Nation by defeating Fire Lord Ozai." This was the topic she had brought him out to discuss, so she might as well get on with it.

"But I don't know how to bend any of the elements except air," Aang protested. He stared at her with wide gray eyes, willing her to understand her wasn't the Avatar. But the Ratava wasn't so easily swayed, not when she had seen every Avatar since the beginning. Zyta was created to balance the Avatar, and she could find him anywhere.

Zyta pulled the four elements into four fist-size balls hovering in the air between them. "You will learn. I've already arranged it. First you will go to the Northern Water Tribe and learn waterbending. I will tell you where to go next once you get there, but for now that's what you should do," she ordered.

"How am I going to stop the Fire Lord?" he began, frantically waving his arms around. Suddenly he stopped. Starting again, Aang asked slowly, "Who is the Fire Lord now anyway? Katara said that the airbenders were all killed an hundred years ago. That means I've been frozen for a century."

"Yes, the airbenders were killed. Sozen died also, and his son Azulon took the throne. Azulon had two sons, Iroh and Ozai. Iroh's son was killed in the war, and he went insane for a time. During that time, Ozai took the throne through trickery. The Fire Lord you must defeat is Ozai," explained Zyta. The poor lad had some adjusting to make, and it wasn't going to be easy.

"This is all so much to take in," muttered Aang. The young airbender sat down on the ground lightly, with the natural grace all airbenders unconsciously posses. Zyta sat down next to him. "It seems like just this morning you told me that you were the Ratava, Lady Adelaide, Lady Tierney, Lady Kameko, and Lady Seraphina. That you had been created thousands of years ago to balance the first Avatar. That you mothered the royal lines of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. That-"

"Stop, you're making me feel old," groaned Zyta.

"Sorry. Did the monks know who you are?" he asked curiously, turning his soft gray eyes from the water to look into Zyta's burning amber ones.

"Yes, they did. All the nations knew. After you were sealed in the ice, I warned the airbenders about the Fire Nation troops on the way. They knew it was their final hour, and chose to fight. I was so proud of them. My pacifistic air monks, fighting to the death."

"What did you do while I was frozen?"

"First I went to Fire Lord Sozen and had a few stern words with him and prophesied a little future. Then I stayed in the Fire Nation Royal Palace up until three years ago when I sent the Royal Prince to find you. Then I went and arranged for you to learn waterbending. You can thank me later," Zyta said with a smile, smug with her own deeds. Sure she had done greater in less time, but this was her long-term plan. Overthrowing the current Fire Nation government and placing an Emperor on the throne would be like her magnum opus.

"That's all you did for a hundred years?" asked Aang incredulously.

"Obviously not. But you don't need to know all that I've done quite yet. For now, go and enjoy yourself. Go penguin sledding," Zyta playfully ordered.

-  
"So, Lady Kameko," began Sokka suspiciously. Zyta was back in the village, once more in the form of Lady Kameko. Sokka had approached her while she tended the fires. "Why do you come down here anyway? I mean, we don't really have anything that could interest a lady from the Northern Water Tribe like yourself."

"We don't have penguins in the north," she replied with a bored sigh.

"You have got to have a better excuse than that. And what's with you showing up right at the time we find this airbender kid? I think you had something to do with that. And another thing-" Sokka's 'other thing' was cut off by a flare whistling up into the sky and exploding.

"What was that?" yelled one of the little children. Mothers began ushering their children inside. Grangran walked up to Lady Kameko.

"What is going on?" the old lady demanded.

"Aang and Katara just set off a flare in the old Fire Nation War Ship," explained Kameko. "They'll be back soon. Don't worry."

"He can't stay in this village if he is going to endanger us," said Grangran sternly. "I'm sorry, my Lady, but he cannot stay here. He must leave at once, and never return."

Kameko looked at Grangran without any expression. "Do what you think is best, elder," she said. Her voice was also devoid of any emotion. Grangran shivered and walked away; crossing the Ratava was never a good idea.

"Katara, are you all right?" demanded Sokka as Katara and Aang trudged back into the village. Lady Kameko walked up to Aang and put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Aang grinned up at her; for him, it had been an adventure.

"I'm fine Sokka," Katara replied. She looked a little shaken up.

Grangran stood in the middle of the village, waiting for them as they entered the village proper. "Aang, we have offered you shelter, food, and warmth. But you have endangered us by setting off that trap. You must leave this village," she said with all the quiet force of a storm about to break.

"Yes, elder," Aang bowed respectfully. Aang understood what he had done, and the ramifications for such a reckless deed. The monks taught their nomads to never stick around where they were not wanted. The young Avatar walked over to Oppa and hopped on the great beast's back. "Good bye, Lady Kameko!" he called from between Oppa's horns.

"Good luck, great understanding, much determination, and fierce heartedness go with you, Airbender Aang," replied Lady Kameko with a wave. Oppa took to the sky.

"What kind of a farewell is that?" asked Sokka peevishly. It was a farewell based on the traits the Bending Spirits had given her, and Zyta knew that it contained magic when she said the words. Sokka didn't need to know that though, so she ignored the question.

"I think you should be building up these walls, Sokka, and not asking me questions," replied Kameko deftly. She looked up at the sun as if judging the time.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

"Because on my walk I saw a lone Fire Navy ship, heading this way. They probably wouldn't have bothered coming here if not for that flare," she informed him with a yawn.

"WHAT!" Sokka shrieked. "A Fire Nation ship is on the way here and you didn't think to tell us?"

"Are you going to keep shouting, or build up the walls?"

"Gah," Sokka grunted and ran off. Kameko followed.

"If you'd like, I could finish the back wall while you and you little warriors build up the front," she offered. Showing off was bad for her ego, but in this case it was a necessary evil.

"Oh yeah? How do you plan on doing that?"

Kameko turned to face the empty section of wall at the back of the village. Placing her palms out flat as though she was pushing against some invisible barrier, Kameko quickly snapped her wrists around and raised them up high above her head. Walls of ice sprang from the ground, encompassing her allotted area in a matter of seconds. Etched in the wall every ten feet was the symbol of the Southern Water Tribe.

Sokka gaped. "Thank you," he managed to splutter while staring at the fortifications in awe. Kameko chuckled. That would teach him to reassess his low opinion of bending.

"Lady Kameko," Katara yelled as she ran up. "Will you teach me waterbending really quick? I want to help."

Kameko laughed. "Waterbending takes years to master, but I can teach you one move," she replied. Katara had nothing else to do, and Kameko enjoyed frustrating the young girl.

They walked to the edge of the water a little beyond the pathetic fortifications that Sokka was erecting. "This is one of the most simple waterbending techniques. It's called 'the wave'." Kameko simply raised her hands, palm down, and a huge mound of water rose up. She flicked her wrists up and the mound crested into a tidal wave that rolled out to sea, jostling the floating hunks of ice and forcing seals to abandon their perches.

"Wow!" exclaimed Katara. "Let me try." She raised her hands like Kameko did, but all she got was a ripple. The young water bender stared dejectedly at the water; Kameko could almost hear her thinking 'Why does water hate me?'

"Keep practicing. I have to go get ready for the arrival of this ship."

-  
Note: I'm going to skip some stuff in the series (stuff that doesn't move the plot foreword), but if you want me to write something specific in just ask.  
**This offer still stands.**


	6. Chapter 5

Sorry for the delay. This is my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you all enjoy it.

**Yeah, it's still my favorite. Probably because Zuko is my favorite character**

5

"The ship is here!" one of the little boys yelled as he ran through the small village. A dark ship was pulling up to the only section of the village that didn't have a high wall; Sokka could be heard wailing when the ship broke through. The Fire Nation flag waved in the gentle breeze. Silence reigned over the icy village as they awaited what they believed was fate. The Fire Nation, finishing them off at last.

"Shall we?" Lady Kameko offered her arm to Grangran.

Grangran looked at the seemingly younger woman and sighed in resignation. "I think we must." The unlikely pair linked arms and walked through the silent village towards the iron gray ship. The ship was lowering its gangplank, and the tops of the helmets of the Fire Nation soldiers could be seen.

Out of the vessel stepped Prince Zuko, Uncle Iroh, and five guards. "I'm looking for the Avatar. I know he is here," Zuko called so that everyone assembled could hear. Kameko almost smiled when Iroh nodded at her, but refrained. Barely. She had missed them fiercely.

"Hiiyaaah!" yelled Sokka. He ran at Zuko, arm raised and boomerang in hand. Zuko simply stepped out of the way of the charging 'warrior'. A swift kick sent Sokka sailing back to where the rest of his Tribe was assembled. A muted cry ran through the group of women as they clutched their children more firmly behind their skirts.

"If you give me the Avatar, no one will be hurt. He will be very old, like this woman." Zuko grabbed Grangran by the arm and dragged her forward. Grangran stumbled, but followed willingly. She was too old to put up a fight and she knew it.

Katara gasped in horror. Grasping Kameko's sleeve desperately, she pleaded in a hushed tone, "Lady Kameko, do something!"

Kameko stepped forward from the cowering assembly of Water Tribe members. "Let the woman go. She is of little use to you. The Avatar will be here shortly. If you want a hostage, take me instead."

"Fine," said Zuko, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He released Grangran, who stumbled gratefully back to the tribe. Katara hugged her fiercely for a moment before they stood back to warily watch what the Fire Nation would do next. "Guards, grab her." Two guards broke rank and grabbed Kameko's arms, hauling her back to stand next to Uncle Iroh.

Kameko looked at Iroh and smiled affectionately to reassure him that this was all right. He nodded back, fighting at the grin that threatened to overtake his face.

"WAIT!" yelled a young voice from the sky. Aang landed directly in the middle of the two groups, creating a buffer that the Water Tribe was grateful for. "Let her go. I'm the Avatar, take me. Just let my Lady go and leave this tribe alone."

Zuko looked at Aang like the boy wasn't all there in the head. "The Avatar is over a hundred years old, you can't be him," replied Zuko slowly.

Aang twirled his staff around and knocked the other three guards and Zuko over with rush of air. "I'm the only airbender left, and I'm the Avatar." His confidence in that statement made Kameko's heart swell with pride.

Zuko stood back up, brushing snow off of his torso. "Seize him," he said. The emotion in his voice was conflicted; this is what he was supposed to do, right? "And bring the girl too." The disgraced prince turned and stalked moodily back aboard the ship without another word.

-  
Kameko was brought before Uncle Iroh and Zuko on the deck of the ship. Rope and chain bound her so that she would not try to escape. "Who are you? And what do you have to do with the Avatar?" demanded Zuko, crossing his arms and glaring.

"Me?" asked Kameko innocently. "Why, I'm the Ratava of course." Dropping her Water Tribe guise, Kameko disappeared. Zyta stood where the waterbender once stood, her long black hair rippling like ink in an other worldly breeze. The chains melted off and the rope burned up.

For a moment, everyone was silent due to shock. Then, Iroh's laughter exploded out like a canon. "My Lady Zyta, it is good to see you again after all these years," said Iroh, fighting chuckles as he stepped forward to embrace his ancestor.

"It is good to see you as well, Iroh," she replied hugging him tightly. Oh how she had missed her family. Out of everyone she had ever known, with the exception of Azyr, these two strange firebenders of the royal house were the Ratava's favorite people in the world.

Zuko was furious. Flames shot out of his fists at the deck. "You knew the Ratava was alive and you didn't tell me? Or father?"

"Calm down Zuzu. I've been hidden in the Fire Nation palace for the past hundred years. You know me as Raynor," as she said this, Zyta transformed into Raynor. Zuko's eyes bulged out in disbelief. "I walked past your father's father, your father, and you all of your lives and no one ever recognized me." She turned back into Zyta, feeling smug. Not only had she tricked them all, she was now about to get her greatest scheme rolling.

Zuko narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why have you chosen now to reveal yourself?" he demanded. Zuko was sharper than he was given credit for.

"I'm ending this crazy war on my terms," Zyta replied honestly. "So you can't have the Avatar just yet." As she was talking, Aang popped out of the doorway looking lost.

"Lady Zyta," Aang gasped. He ran over to the Ratava's side, his gaze flicking back and forth between her and their 'captors'. "What now?"

"Now you get whisked off by Sokka and Katara," she replied, pointing up toward the setting sun. Silhouetted against the orange sky, Oppa was carrying Sokka and Katara to the rescue.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," snapped Zuko, recovering form his shock. He shot fire at Aang, who brushed it away easily with air bending.

Katara and Sokka had landed on the deck by this time and were immediately surrounded by guards. Sokka whipped out his boomerang and started bashing skulls, a serene and content look on his face. Katara froze one accidentally when she meant to pull a huge wave up.

Aang fell overboard. Katara yelled for him, leaning over the rail in concern. Zyta felt the hairs on her head stand up just as the water below the ship began to glow blue. Aang was in the Avatar state. Rising in a gargantuan spiral of water, the Avatar crashed onto the deck. Soldiers clung onto the deck for dear life. Zuko stubbornly held his ground, looking like a drowned rat. Zyta politely bent the water around herself and Iroh. When the wave receded, Katara and Sokka were holding Aang's sleeping form.

"Go," Zyta commanded. They had the upper hand at the moment, but if the young group stayed any longer they would be captured. "Hop on Oppa, I'll keep my children busy." Katara and Sokka needed no further encouragement. Carrying Aang, they ran for Oppa and hopped on his back. With a yipyip they were off.

"NO!" yelled Zuko. He angrily spewed fire into the air. Then he turned on Zyta. "This is your fault!" The prince ran at her with two fist-fulls of fire, though she wasn't sure what he hoped to achieve.

Zyta pulled up a huge wave that crashed over the deck of the ship, hitting Zuko squarely and drenching him once more. "Zuko, you should know better than to play with fire. I can only heal you so many times before I get bored," she droned, swirling a bit of water around his feet lazily like a mass of writhing snakes.

Zuko stood still, drenched and cold, looking like a wet cat. "What do you have to do with any of this, Raynor, or Zyta, or Kameko, or Ratava, or whoever the hell you are!" he demanded through chattering teeth.

"Let's get you dry and warm, then we'll talk," Zyta replied, pulling the unwilling prince under her arm.

-  
Zyta made a little fire in the middle of the deck and Uncle Iroh placed a teakettle on it. Zuko sat sullenly near the fire in only a thin white undershirt and boxers. Zyta sat down next to him and wrapped a blanket of darkness around his shoulders to halt his shivering.

"You know me as Raynor, but I am obviously not human," Zyta began. It was the way she always began, whenever she told the story. This was the abridged version, focusing more on her Fire Nation ties than her Spirit World ties. "I'm the Ratava, created to balance the Avatar. I'm immortal and can bend the four elements, lightning, darkness, metal, wood, and cloth. I can use sorcery. I can take on any form I wish. I can manipulate human minds. I have many animal familiars. And I mothered the Fire Nation Royal Family."

Iroh poured tea for the three of them. "We have always called her Ancestor Seraphina," he said, handing out the cups. "Out of respect."

"I was born crown-princess of the Fire Nation. I was also the last Dragon Empress. I lived in the capital city of the Sun Warriors. My dragon and I ruled for many years, until I passed on the right to rule to my son, Adriaz. I named him 'Fire Lord', because I knew he would not be a just Dragon Emperor," continued Zyta. She paused for a moment to take a sip of tea. "Wonderful tea, Iroh."

"Thank you, Lady," he inclined his head. "It's nice to have some one finally appreciate good tea around here." He looked pointedly at Zuko.

Zuko didn't notice the jibe. "Why didn't he make a good Dragon Emperor?" he asked, totally engrossed in the story.

"My first husband was the first Avatar. He was a Fire Nation man named Azyr. Our line has inherited an insanity from the union of my Ratava soul and his Avatar soul. Our son had it the most strongly. Surely you've noticed it, seen it in your father and sister's eyes?" asked Zyta. She looked at Zuko piercingly, like she could see into his soul. For a terrifying moment, he realized that she probably could.

"I have no idea what you-" he started harshly, then stopped. Zuko recalled all the times Azula had wanted something. When ever he had seen his father angry. The times the two had been cruel to others. They had the same look in their eyes, more like a beast than a person. Zuko gasped. "That's what that was?"

Zyta nodded sadly. "There have been none who weren't infected. Some overcame it and banished it through burning their souls, like your uncle." She gestured at Iroh who nodded solemnly in agreement.

"I had no choice. It was like a beast inside, clawing and fighting and forcing me to do evil things. When I was nine, I asked one of the slave girls in the palace who was a dear friend of mine if it was in her too. She said no, and told me to fight it. But not with bending fire; she said to bend my spirit. I removed it from my being through a long arduous process that I'd rather not remember or explain. And when I was done," he stopped and smiled. "I felt true peace."

"Because he succeeded, I was able to reveal myself to him. I was the little slave girl," explained Zyta. That day was one of her happiest. Initially she had been elated to find a person to use in her grand scheme, which is why Zyta bothered to give the young prince the time of day. Then she came to know Iroh better, and was pleased that he could cure himself. They were great friends and she valued that dearly.

"So I'm doomed to the same fate as my sister and father!" shouted Zuko. His mood swings were difficult to follow, Zyta thought absently. "You let me grow up to become some kind of monster!"

Zyta stared at him calmly. "You weren't born with the madness, Zuko. You have a choice of two paths. You can choose the madness and regain your honor by killing the Avatar to become Fire Lord, end this war, and rule the four nations under a fiery banner. Or you can reject the madness and defeat your father and sister, find your mother, befriend the Avatar, and be named Dragon Emperor."

Zuko was stunned to silence. When he finally regained his voice, he asked cautiously, "Why wasn't I born like the rest of my family?"

"Your mother was the granddaughter of Avatar Roku, the most recent Fire Nation Avatar. She inherited his traits very strongly, including his Avatar spirit. She passed all these on to you. This makes you alone mine and Azyr's true son," said Zyta. A thought struck her. "Consequently, this is why Azula is so unstable."

Zuko looked like he was going to faint. He stared into the fire in silence. "I think that was a bit much to tell him at one time, Lady Zyta," Iroh remarked in a voice that, had it been between any other people, might have been a reproach.

Zyta shook her head. "I know what I'm doing," she informed the old general. Turning to Zuko she ordered gently, "Look at this." She had pulled some darkness into a smooth mirror. "This is what your future should be."

A single image floated into view on the mirror. It was Zuko, only he was older. His hair was long and pulled into the clip of the Fire Lord, only instead of the band being plain black, it was a dragon that looked like it was spewing the flames out the top. He was dressed in all black and red and gold and stood next to an Air Monk on the steps of the Fire Nation Palace. On his other side was a medium sized black dragon with a red spine ridge and talons. _You are the Dragon Emperor, and my dragon's daughter, Nari, guides you,_ Zyta's voice flowed into his head.

The mirror swirled off in a puff off black vapor, leaving Zuko with the image still firmly fixed in his head. "What does Nari mean? I thought there were no more dragons," he asked shaking his head, trying to clear it.

"My dragon, his mate, the two masters, and eight more are still alive," said Zyta. Her eyes softened at the mention of the dragons. "Nuri the Red is my first dragon, and his name means fire. His mate and my third dragon, Azari, her name means light and dark. She is guarding your dragon's egg right now. Your dragon, who will be known as Nari the Unconquerable, her name means a peal of thunder."

"How can I refuse that path when I know that I will be gaining the friendship of one of the wisest and most beautiful creatures that ever existed?" he asked, tears in his eyes. This was a rare show of emotion. But the longing for a dragon, a being that would share the rest of his life and know him better than anyone and always be on his side, would reduce any feeling human to tears.

"Because you won't know. You'll forget most of what I've said unless you are looking into the eyes of an airbender," intoned Zyta. The Ratava placed her palm on the scare that covered the prince's eye, and her magic flared. She stood up and brushed off her hands. "I must be off."

"When will we see you again?" asked Iroh. He and Zuko stood up as well.

"Soon, I promise." She walked to the side of the boat and shot lightning up into the sky. "Nuri, Nuri, Nuri!"

A return flash hit the deck behind her. When the blinding light disappeared, her red dragon was floating gracefully suspended in the air. "Hello my Lady Seraphina," he said with his mind.

"Nuri, this is Iroh, who learned his bending from the two masters," Zyta gestured at Iroh, who bowed deeply.

"A pleasure to meet the Dragon of the West," chuckled Nuri. He drifted over to Iroh and nuzzled his shoulder. "You have a rare spirit for one of my mistress's mistake."

"Thank you," said Iroh.

Nuri turned his gaze to Zuko, who stood transfixed by his stare. At last, Nuri said, "You are the son of my Lady's heart. I hope, for my daughter's sake, that you choose the way of the Dragon Emperor. But you have the power to influence change, to alter destiny and right history. Find the destiny that suits you, Prince Dragonet, and follow it."

Zyta hopped nimbly up onto Nuri's back. "I will see you soon, Zuko. I promise." And with that, the red dragon flew off into the night.


	7. Chapter 6

Sorry for the lack of updates. Here's the seventh chapter. It's not my favorite, but it's not too horrible...

**Eh. I'm a Katara hater, what can I say?**

6

"Lady Kameko, what do you have to do with all of this?" Katara asked forcefully. It wasn't exactly a demand, but it wasn't a request either.

"All in good time Katara, you will know everything in good time," hedged Kameko. They were sitting on Oppa's back, flying toward the Southern Air Temple. "For now, I'm taking you to the Southern Air Temple. Aang will wake up soon, so listen carefully.

"Katara, you and Aang will be heading to the Northern Water Tribe to learn waterbending. Sokka, you are going with them to further your warrior training."

Sokka glared at her. "Why should I help you? I think we should just turn around and go back to our tribe safe and sound."

Kameko sighed. "Sokka, I'm going to level with you. If you go with Avatar Aang and Katara to the North Pole, you'll be one step closer to ending this war. Aang is going to fight Fire Lord Ozai and win, but not without your help to get him there. Plus, if you go to the North, they'll get news on how badly the Southern Tribe is fairing and send help."

"What if something happens to the tribe while I'm away? Then they'll be left with no warrior."

"I promise that no harm will come to the Southern Water Tribe in your absence." Turning to Katara, Kameko asked, "What do you say Katara? Will you go?"

"If the tribe will be all right," she murmured uncertainly. "I'll go."

"Me too," Sokka agreed firmly.

"Good. I'm leaving for a time, but I will send another to meet you at the Air Temple," Kameko said. Before Katara and Sokka could reply, she flipped over the side of the saddle and dove into the ocean.

-  
The water was dark and clear, perfect for telepathy. _Sterling, I need you,_ she sent out with her mind. As she waited for the sea serpent, she transformed into her true form.

Suddenly she was surrounded by the coils of a long silver body. Not wrapped, just near enough to touch. _My lady, what may I do for you?_ he asked with an edge of humor in his voice. _Many a year has passed since you called me and needed me._

_I must go to the Southern Air Temple, but I haven't been there in a century. They may still have the defenses up from the Fire Invasion, and I must disengage all of them before the Avatar gets there,_ Zyta said.

Sterling's face loomed before her. Since he was bound to Zyta he was able to change shape to that of any sea monster, but at that moment he was in his original form. Sterling was completely silver from being struck by natural lightening as a hatchling, except for his purple eyes and spine ridge. Forty feet of serpent from nose to tail tip, which flared out like a fancy purple feather (it was really that slimy scaly fishtail material).

_How does this require me?_ he asked. Sterling shrunk down to the size of an earthworm to float above Zyta's hand.

_The Avatar and company will be flying on a bison to the North Pole. I want you to follow them in the water until they get there and keep them safe. You need to come with me to be temporarily partially bound to him so you know where he is._

_That sounds like an interesting mission,_ Sterling mused as he wrapped around Zyta's wrist. _Am I to reveal myself if they are in trouble?_

_No, let Aang take care of it,_ Zyta replied. She teleported them to the inner courtyard of the Southern Air Temple.

-  
The sanctuary looked almost the same as it had when Zyta was there last. The airbenders built their structures for permanence, and it showed. None of the mosaics had lost any of their color, and the statues hadn't deteriorated. The floor still looked like a stormy sky, even through it really was tile. No vines had covered the place.

Zyta walked over to her statue, the one of her as Adelaide. The statue's hands were cupped infront of her like she was holding water. Zyta pulled some darkness from behind the statue and poured it into the statue's hands.

The statue's eyes turned from marble to rubies. A quake reverberated through the mountain as the defense mechanisms returned to their resting positions. All the pikes and floor traps deactivated. The statue's eyes faded back to their original color once Zyta removed the liquid darkness from its hands.

Zyta then walked over to a pool of water where the bison used to drink from. The pool was huge and shaped like the airbender symbol of three swirls. It had a huge fountain in the middle that was made to look like trumpets of stone. The water no longer flowed and what water was left in the pool was green with slime.

"Well, that's gross," Zyta muttered. With a wave of her hand the slime water flew out of the pool and off the side of the cliff. She then pulled the blockage out of the pipe and made the water start flowing through the fountain again. She scrubbed the sides of the pool clean until it was back to the way it was supposed to look, and then she allowed it to fill up properly.

"There you go Sterling, enjoy the water," she said as she let the sea serpent slide off her arm into the cool water of the pool.

The shadow of a flying bison passed over her head. Wasting no time, Zyta transformed into Adelaide. Just in time too. Oppa landed right next to her and immediately began drinking from the pool. Katara, Aang, and Sokka slid off his back.

"Lady Adelaide!" yelled Aang. He tackle hugged her, and she chuckled. "It's so good to see you here!"

"Aang, you know her?" asked Sokka.

Aang looked at him with a 'duh' expression. "Of course. Lady Adelaide lived here at the temple from time to time. She's an airbender, and was one of my teachers," the boy explained.

Sokka looked suspiciously at Adelaide. "Doesn't that make you over a hundred years old?" he demanded.

"Yes, yes it does," she replied calmly.

Katara and Sokka stared blankly at her. Adelaide smiled sweetly at them. Aang, oblivious to the exchange, exclaimed, "Lady Adelaide, lets show them around the temple!"

"All right Aang," she agreed with a smile. "Maybe we can even try to teach them to play airball." Aang beamed at her.

The four of them began walking around the temple. Aang did most of the talking, explaining the significance of all the statues, what all the halls were called, and how the sleeping quarters were broken up.

When they came to a huge door in the main hallway, Aang stopped short, causing Katara and Sokka to run into him. "This is the second most important room in the whole temple," he declared.

The door was still brightly colored, despite all the time that had passed since any one had been in the temple doing any up keeping. The door was bright red with a golden dragon on it.

"Why is that?" asked Katara curiously.

"This room belongs to the Ratava," he said looking at Adelaide. "May we enter your room, Lady Adelaide?"

"Be my guest, Avatar," she nodded.

"YOU'RE THE RATAVA?" yelled Katara and Sokka. Their jaws fell to the floor in true comedic fashion.

Adelaide smiled. "I am the Ratava in her Air nomad form, yes. I have four other forms as well," she explained. Blank stares greeted her revelation. "I can assume the form of anything, but I have five total guises, one for each nation and then my true form, that I use when not in disguise. To the air nomads, I am Lady Adelaide."

"Oh, that makes a little more sense," admitted Katara truthfully. "Who are you to the water tribe?"

"You must figure that out yourself," replied Adelaide with a smirk. To Aang she said, "Show them my room, and then come outside to the airball field."

Adelaide walked off without waiting for a response. She wanted to make sure that the Fire Nation soldiers bodies were covered in snow. She knew that Aang wouldn't like to see them, and she couldn't blame him.

-  
"Aang!" Katara yelled, trying to be heard above the wind. "Please, calm down!" But Aang could not be reasoned with. Sorrow had thrown him into the Avatar State, and all of his anger and frustration was being released as bending.

Zyta felt the disturbance and teleported to where the young monk was floating. Glancing up at him briefly, the Ratava pulled a tiny sphere of darkness into her hand, like grains of sand. Throwing the ball expertly, she hit Aang directly in the chest. The Avatar fell to the ground, right into the waiting arms of Katara.

"What did you do to him?" Katara hiss-shrieked. Cradling the boy in one arm, she tried to pull snow down to crush Zyta. Glaring at the young girl, Zyta brushed the failed bending attempt away easily.

"I put him to sleep," she replied with strained patience. "And I do wish that you would try and be less… self oriented! I am orchestrating the greatest trick the Nations have ever seen and you dare try to scold me?"

With the power of the Ratava bearing down on her Katara had to lower her head. Disapproval and defiance was still etched in her posture. "You say that I am self-centered? You're the one doing this great trick because you are bored!" she hissed, her eyes still downcast.

Zyta didn't lose her temper very often, but when she did it was a force to fear. "Let me show you something, water-wench," Zyta said monotone. A swift jerk of her hand brought Katara upright; she had used blood bending. "This is what happens if my great trick fails."

Darkness swirled into a mirror infront of the two women. The Fire Lord and Azula stood at the wall of Ba-Sing-Se, laughing as it crumbled to dust. The image flickered to a different scene. An open expanse of water, sparkling red in the sunset.

"This is what will befall the Southern Water Tribe," Zyta said, eerily calm. "The Fire Nation will raise the world's temperature 9 degrees. All the ice will melt, and the entire tribe drowns." She threw Katara to the ground next to Aang.

The young waterbender glared up at Zyta with angry tear filled eyes. "I still don't trust you," she said hoarsely.

Zyta nodded crisply. "You don't need to trust me to obey me. Learn waterbending and keep Aang safe. That's all I require of you for the time being," she replied.

Zyta watched the three young people riding away on Appa with a slightly chagrin expression. She knew it wasn't right of her to loose her temper on Katara, but the waterbender needed to understand. If this scheme failed, the world was in serious trouble.

She watched until the bison was a tiny speck on the horizon, then turned shaking the feelings of worry and hope off. Both were paralyzing emotions in their own ways. Besides, she had her own tasks to accomplish.

-  
Just a warning, I'm not a big Katara fan. From here on out there will be Katara bashing.


	8. IMPORTANT INFO

I feel kind of bad about having to do this, but I'm putting this story on hiatus until my Muse returns. I feel bad about it sitting here doing nothing, so bad in fact that I would feel guilty posting other stories while this one seems to be ignored. I promise that I will continue it, but for now I feel that there are other stories that I have written that are farther along that need to be published.

That was the main message, but here's a bit more info for those of you who care-

I know how I want this story to end, and I know how it will be from midway on, but the problem is getting it to midway. Heck, I could breeze through it if I could find the words to get this thing to the Northern Water tribe. But I have no words, and no ideas.

If anyone has ideas to help me, or even wants to write a chapter or two, I'm willing to receive all help that you are willing to give.


End file.
